my work so far

I am a creative survivor. I love to sing, dance, act, roller-skate, ride my bike, and find funny ways to express life experiences. I am also a Licensed Clinical Counselor living in New Mexico since 2001 who has been working in mental health since the end of the last century. Over the course of my practice thus far, I have worked within institutions, in private practice, with indigenous families on pueblos, and with mothers and children. As a massage therapist and bodyworker, my hands touched and held pain bodies for folks suffering from the residual elements of trauma housed in their bodies. I have been able to support folks integrate their experiences as they evolve.

I work to de-colonize the therapeutic process. In my experience, much of “mental ill-health” stems from the environment and political climate under which we occupy. Most of us live within systems whose objective is to gain control over our minds, souls, and our bodies. Through advertising ploys, ineffective healthcare systems, unfair wages, discrimination and hateful practices, and even basic projections and expectations of others, we are taught to deny our own needs, and maintain the status quo. Never to evolve. And so it often leads to complex struggles that can show up as mental, emotional, and/or physical. We have all been socially trained to engage with each other in this way, and now we have the opportunity to rework that whole arrangement and unlearn the social training that has left so many of us vulnerable to exploitation and mental ill-health. I have both experienced and facilitated the kind of healing that happens in the clinical relationship. It is always a gift. As a supervisor and facilitator, I draw from psychodrama, somatic experiencing techniques, and attachment theory. We are empowered and can find safety in connection with others who are regulated in their nervous systems. We are individuals learning to live and play together safely. We are unlearning and relearning how to be in this world and with each other, at this time. Each of us has the responsibility to evolve in our own way, and at our own pace. When we do this, we establish and honor integrity for ourselves and basic trust to/of those around us. This is how I think of Soma Sagrada, or the collective, sacred human body that is our birthright.

If this is you, or you resonate with this, feel free to phone or email me to set up a free initial consultation. I am not the therapist for every person. I have worked well with LGBTQIA+ folks, people with developmental disabilities, parents, and those struggling under racial oppression. It is necessary to have a therapist with whom you feel at ease in order for your healing to come through. I am humbled and honored to support you in your search for the support that is right for you, even if that therapist is not me. I promise I don’t take it personally!